Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) Short Interest Up 26.6% in March

Ralph Lauren Co. (NYSE:RL) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,430,000 shares, a growth of 26.6% from the February 28th total of 1,920,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 858,600 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Approximately 6.3% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

RL has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Ralph Lauren from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the company from $280.00 to $286.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $258.00 to $268.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on shares of Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Ralph Lauren from $257.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Ralph Lauren from $285.00 to $342.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Ralph Lauren presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $284.62.

Ralph Lauren Price Performance

Ralph Lauren stock opened at $236.25 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $14.59 billion, a PE ratio of 21.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.31. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $249.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $227.24. Ralph Lauren has a one year low of $155.96 and a one year high of $289.33.

Ralph Lauren (NYSE:RL) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The textile maker reported $4.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.46 by $0.36. Ralph Lauren had a return on equity of 30.88% and a net margin of 10.14%. As a group, research analysts expect that Ralph Lauren will post 12.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Ralph Lauren Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.825 per share. This represents a $3.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.40%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 28th. Ralph Lauren’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.11%.

Institutional Trading of Ralph Lauren

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 93.7% during the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 122 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ralph Lauren by 1,270.0% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 137 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in shares of Ralph Lauren by 281.1% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 202 shares of the textile maker’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the last quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd boosted its stake in Ralph Lauren by 22,500.0% in the fourth quarter. Pinpoint Asset Management Ltd now owns 226 shares of the textile maker’s stock valued at $52,000 after buying an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Ralph Lauren in the fourth quarter valued at about $63,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 67.91% of the company’s stock.

Ralph Lauren Company Profile

Ralph Lauren Corporation designs, markets, and distributes lifestyle products in North America, Europe, Asia, and internationally. The company offers apparel, including a range of men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing; footwear and accessories, which comprise casual shoes, dress shoes, boots, sneakers, sandals, eyewear, watches, fashion and fine jewelry, scarves, hats, gloves, and umbrellas, as well as leather goods, such as handbags, luggage, small leather goods, and belts; home products consisting of bed and bath lines, furniture, fabric and wallcoverings, floor coverings, lighting, tabletop, kitchen linens, floor coverings, dining, decorative accessories, and giftware; and fragrances.